Same Space, Different Place

When starting from scratch pays off.

Conventional wisdom says that Harlem-townhouse buyers value original details above all else. Yet these adjacent properties on Sylvan Terrace, a small landmarked street in the West 160s, show the opposite. The owners of No. 14, which was sold in December, had restored it completely, preserving pocket doors and crown moldings; they also redid the kitchen and baths. Their neighbors at 12 Sylvan Terrace did a more extensive update, moving interior walls and raising ceilings. Gone were the small Victorian rooms, replaced by a modern, open aesthetic. (They also added a guest kitchen and a bath.) “Sometimes when you have all the original details, the place can seem smaller,” says broker Candice Smith.